TBED 101: Technology readiness and market funding gaps point to need for TBED support
Note: Every profession has jargon. Practitioners of technology-based economic development know the field may have more than its fair share of confusing words and acronyms as it bridges numerous scientific and engineering disciplines, business and financial acumen, and public-private initiatives at all levels of government supporting regional innovation. This occasional series from the SSTI team provides introductions or reminders of some of the key concepts used across the practice. ~ Mark Skinner, SSTI President & CEO
SSTI shares communication strategies at InBIA's ICBI39 conference
Earlier this week, SSTI participated in InBIA’s 39thInternational Conference on Business Incubation (ICBI39) in Philadelphia. The event brought together entrepreneurship support professionals from around the world to tackle shared challenges and explore strategies for fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Taking TBED on the Road: Launch Tennessee's experience at Austin’s SXSW
A handful of showcase events across the country are known widely by mere nicknames, gather lots of media attention, and attract tens of thousands of people or more each year. Can a state’s lead technology-based economic development stand out in this kind of crowd? Is it worth the investment to try?
Recent Research: Is innovation district success the enemy of resilience?
Recent Research: Cross-industry knowledge flows support high-tech entrepreneurship
New research confirms what TBED practitioners already understand: there’s no single formula for building successful innovation-driven systems. That’s one of the reasons SSTI advises policy makers to focus on the strengths and needs of your region’s innovation system rather than how much your neighbors are spending. The study’s findings about the role of knowledge spillovers, however, offer useful insight into the characteristics that matter most for improving outcomes in your region.
What is TBED?
Innovation requires an openness to the possibility of doing things better.
Entrepreneurship is the urgent willingness to try.
~ Mark Skinner, SSTI President & CEO
Webinar Library
Webinars are a great way to stay up to date on the newest developments. They offer timely information from experts and have the flexibility of being viewed at your convenience without the expense of travel. SSTI's Webinar Library puts SSTI webinars at your fingertips — when you want them.
Events hosted by SSTI's Tech-based Economic Development Community of Practice are available to the general public at no cost. Most SSTI webinars are available for free to members and for purchase by others.
Pew finds partisanship growing in American support for science
In the 30 years SSTI has been in existence and the 85 years of concerted federal focus on scientific discover and innovation, the priority of public-private R&D investment has been overwhelmingly nonpartisan. A recent report from the Pew Research Center confirms the cold-war, global competitiveness arguments for U.S science and technology still hold sway across political parties, but fissures in who should pay and who should work on science and tech efforts are beginning to grow.
Disruption is echoing in empty university halls
Vacant storefronts and empty downtown office buildings aren’t the only ways the pandemic-accelerated, technology-stimulated move to remote work has negatively impacted community cohesiveness, commitment to place, and economic opportunity resulting from aggregation. According to a newly released analysis of university campuses, the disconnection and under-utilization problem extends deeper into regions than many may realize.
TBED Works: "Sticky" student innovators provide opportunity for longer relationships, larger outcomes
Campus entrepreneurship programs can lead to decades-long collaborations between academia and industry. Students may learn how to do their very first pitch deck. Or make a poster presentation. Or stand in front of a group of investors. And then go on to found a successful company (or two, or three) and create jobs for people in the area.
Useful Stats: How do the largest higher education institutions fund their R&D expenditures?
OH awards $97M to three innovation hubs
Ohio recently awarded more than $97 million for the Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub in Toledo, the onMain Innovation Hub in Dayton, and the Greater Akron Polymer Innovation Hub in Akron. These hubs are part of the recently created a $125 million Ohio Innovation Hubs Program.
States are building a foundation to reap benefits as quantum tech advances
Quantum technologies are revolutionizing sensors, computation, and communication, according to an article from the World Economic Forum.
Quantum technologies are revolutionizing sensors, computation, and communication, according to an article from the World Economic Forum.
This reality is inspiring many states to build foundations for reaping the economic benefits of these technologies. This year, several states, including Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, South Carolina and South Dakota have passed legislation, provided new funding or have launched new quantum initiatives.
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NIH R&D budget is healthy in FY 2026 budget
The Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health receive an increase of $301 million in budget authority for a new total of $47.216 billion in FY 2026, a figure that stands in sharp contradiction to the severe cuts recommended in the Administration’s request. Additionally, ARPA-H is to receive $1.5 billion.
Recent Research: AI-exposed occupations and the changing job market for college graduates
The breakthrough launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 sparked widespread questions about artificial intelligence and the future of work. How would generative AI reshape jobs and industries? Would certain roles become obsolete? How should education and training programs prepare workers for an AI-integrated workplace? To understand AI’s actual labor market impact, researchers examined unemployment patterns and hiring trends in AI-exposed occupations between 2022 and 2024 in a new study.
TBED Works: NCBiotech supports early-stage startups that ultimately shine
Earmarks dominate HUD community development budget again in FY 2026
Federal FY 2026 transportation budget cuts some R&D, saves entrepreneurial support
Recent Research
At SSTI, we believe that sound policy and effective programs depend on a clear understanding of what works and why. Our Recent Research articles distill new academic studies, evaluations, and data analyses that shed light on the forces shaping technology-based economic development. By translating complex findings into accessible insights, we help practitioners, policymakers, and partners apply the latest evidence to strengthen their own innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce strategies.
The state of US venture capital investment in four charts. How might your innovation startups fare if investment trends hold?
With 2025 behind us, and some time for the data to stabilize, we can look back at VC activity and try to understand what it means for TBED efforts going forward. The VC storyline of 2025 should be familiar to anyone who has been following investment news. Record funding rounds, huge amounts of capital deployed, questions of an AI bubble. Where amongst the big flashy lights of AI mega-deals do we find the subtlety and nuance that informs TBED investor activity and policy?
With 2025 behind us, and some time for the data to stabilize, we can look back at VC activity and try to understand what it means for TBED efforts going forward. The VC storyline of 2025 should be familiar to anyone who has been following investment news. Record funding rounds, huge amounts of capital deployed, questions of an AI bubble. Where amongst the big flashy lights of AI mega-deals do we find the subtlety and nuance that informs TBED investor activity and policy? Looking closely at historical trends and segmenting the data by deal size highlights what most companies seeking funding face and points to potential outcomes for 2026.
New benchmarking tool illuminates how AI is accelerating job market changes
All too often, jobseekers and employers seem to exist in non-compatible realities. While jobseekers flood the job market with descriptions of their generalized skills in communication, leadership, and problem-solving to fill various roles in different sectors, employers are looking for the more specific skills that will get the job done, say the authors of a report from the Wharton School and Accenture. And they propose that AI is accelerating this shift from a role-based economy to a skills-based economy.
All too often, jobseekers and employers seem to exist in non-compatible realities. While jobseekers flood the job market with descriptions of their generalized skills in communication, leadership, and problem-solving to fill various roles in different sectors, employers are looking for the more specific skills that will get the job done, say the authors of a report from the Wharton School and Accenture. And they propose that AI is accelerating this shift from a role-based economy to a skills-based economy.